Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Tourists' attackers jailed

By Katee Shanks
Rotorua Daily Post·
16 May, 2014 12:49 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mark Wikotu at an earlier court appearance.

Mark Wikotu at an earlier court appearance.

A tourist attacked in Whakatane in the early hours on Boxing Day still thinks of the attack every day and often finds herself in tears, a court has heard.

Mark Wikotu, 19, Antonia Biddle, 15, Marshall Poihipi, 16, and Jason Poihipi, 14, were sentenced in the Whakatane District Court yesterday for the aggravated robbery of a German couple in their tent near the Whakatane skate park about 2am last December 26.

All were jailed - Wikotu for four years and four months, Biddle three years and three months, Marshall Poihipi four years and six months and Jason Poihipi three years and three months.

Marshall and Jason Poihipi and Biddle each also paid $1000 reparation to the victims.

The couple, who were 18 and 19 at the time, read their victim impact statements to the court.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The woman, who suffered a fractured eye socket and arm, a broken nose and bruises and abrasions, said the attack had affected, and continued to affect her life.

She said she had been upset to leave New Zealand with three months of her and her partner's planned trip left to go, had lost a necklace of sentimental value, her family had been upset and now, when she saw a group of teenagers, she became afraid.

The man lost several teeth and suffered a serious gash to his head and bruises and abrasions during the attack. He said he had been gutted to cut his planned overseas experience short and knew the incident would impact on the rest of his life.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

During the attack the victims were beaten with a tree branch and a broomstick, and punched and kicked. At one stage they were able to escape but the offenders chased them and continued the beating. They were left terrified and covered in blood.

After the beating the four offenders went into the Germans' tent and removed property including the keys to the couple's rental vehicle. They piled the property into the vehicle but were disturbed by police.

Judge Louis Bidois said the opportunistic attack probably lasted for four or five minutes in total.

"And for that you will pay dearly," he told the four.

Discover more

New Zealand

Teen admits robbing German tourists

17 Jan 01:52 AM

Youths accused of tourist bashing appear in court

07 Feb 01:23 AM

Man in court over Boxing Day tourist attack

06 May 11:20 PM

He said one couldn't imagine the fear the tourists would have felt on the night.

"They were woken, attacked when vulnerable, chased and attacked again. They were subjected to serious violence and showed very little mercy.

"The image of New Zealand would have also been changed because of your actions."

A 17-year-old male, whose name is suppressed, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated
robbery and unlawfully getting into a vehicle in relation to the same incident.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

'Merry hell' in Mamaku: Village held 'to ransom' by hoons

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM

The North Island is expected to get off to a wet start this morning, with lingering rain.

'Merry hell' in Mamaku: Village held 'to ransom' by hoons

'Merry hell' in Mamaku: Village held 'to ransom' by hoons

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search